russia. the first 100 days, the items at the top of joe biden's to-do list, climate change and mask mandates. what we're learning about how he plans to speak directly to trump supporters during his inaugural address. and our exclusive look at where the president-elect will take the oath of office on wednesday. trump's exit: will he get the military send-off he wants as he considers pardoning 50-100 people? america crushed by covid, as the u.s. nears the number of deaths in world war ii, california is hit with yet another new virus strain. but why some experts say there's good news on the horizon. and unifying america, the fifth graders tonight who honored the legacy of martin luther king, jr. by standing up to hate. this is the "cbs evening news"

with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> o'donnell: good evening and thank you for joining us. with less than 48 hours until president-elect joe biden's inauguration, tonight the investigation into the attack on the u.s. capitol and the extraordinary effort to prevent another one are now in overdrive. cbs news has learned the f.b.i. is now focusing on paramilitary and extremist groups that may have trained for an insurrection, including one group seen wearing body armor and helmets on january 6. now, sources tell cbs news federal agents are also vetting the backgrounds of more than 20,000 national guard troops now surrounding downtown washington, looking for any evidence of an insider threat. and a sign of just how seriously police now view the security situation, today capitol police bfiefly sent people scrambling over reports of a possible explosion nearby. tonight a look behind the scenes of preparations ahead of the

inauguration, including on the platform those rioters climbed. the chair of the congressional inaugural committee tells us he believes at least 1,000 people may have broken into the building and says if president trump tries to pardon any one of them it will be disastrous. we'll have our exclusive in a moment and our team is standing our team is standing with new reporting tonight. jeff pegues leads the coverage from a fortified washington. good evening, jeff. >> reporter: norah, of the thousand people who may have gone into the capitol building on january 6, investigators are focused on extremists, people who may have scoped out the the building, even trained for b the assualt, and two more members of one extremist group a charged and investigators are poring through new video trying to pinpoint the extremists who may have been going after members of congress. in this video from "the new yorker magazine" the rioters reach an empty senate chamber

where they rifle through the pages of a binder on a desk. >> there's got to be something here we can use against the scumbags. >> reporter: and they revel in their success, when they consider walking away, instead they decided to continue going through republican senator ted cruz's desk. >> cruz would want us to do this so i think we're good. >> reporter: they take pictures and kick their feet up until a police officer enters the chamber. >> any chance i could get you guys to leave the senate wing. >> we will. i'm making sure they ain't disrespecting the place. ( shouting ) >> reporter: in other areas of the capitol building, rioters chant of a revolution and search and search for two targets of opposition. >> nancy pelosi, we're coming! we're coming for you, too, ( bleep ) traitor. >> reporter: a brief scare today when the capitol complex was shut down, turns out a fire was blocks away. the level of security in

washington is unprecedented. national guard members are marching through the streets and quickly increasing in number. there will be more than 25,000 of them will be in testify city by the time the new president is sworn in. the f.b.i. is now vetting all members of the national guard. cbs news correspondent david martin asked the chief of the national guard bureau about those concerns. >> reporter: are you worried at all about the reliability of your national guard troops? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: the f.b.i. is also investigating the funding of the january 6 event, from both domestic and foreign sources including mysterious bitcoin transfers of over $500,000 from overseas to people supporting the original rally. in all the chaos that day, someone stole a laptop from the house speaker's office. investigators say they are looking for riley june williams who is now a fugitive. court papers show how investigators tracked the pennsylvania woman's movements

all the way into pelosi's office. they also say that they got a tip that she intended to send the computer device to a friend in russia, who then planned to sell it to russia's foreign intelligence service, but that fell through. also among those charged by federal prosecutors, emily hernandez of sullivan, missouri, who allegedly stole pelosi's nameplate, and jon shaffer, is allegedly affiliated with the oathkeepers, a far right anti-government group. the columbus, indiana rent faces six charges after allegedly allegedly spraying a capitol police officer with bear spray. investigators have made a lot of arrests, already. 90 people have been charged with federal crimes, and that's a number that is expected to go up. the tip line is really paying off for investigators. we're told that, in some cases, families are turning on each other. norah. >> o'donnell: and calling them in. jeff pegues, thank you.

the inauguration will come exactly two weeks after that angry mob stormed the capitol including the platform where joe biden will take the oath of office. the big question: will it be safe on wednesday? we spoke exclusive with roy blunt and amy klobuchar, in charge saturday. senators, thank you so much. senator blunt, is there any doubt in your mind there will be a peaceful transfer of power? >> no, no doubt at all, and i think we're going to project to the world exactly the message we want to at this very spot where so many bad things happened two weeks ago, i think the world will see the constitution and the democracy of our country work. >> o'donnell: how important is that to show that to the world? >> it couldn't be more important. and while the events of january 6 and the insurrection, i think a lot of people stepped back and reflected and thought this democracy means something to us. >> o'donnell: there was a security scare this morning that led to the capitol being locked down.

what if that happens wednesday? >> take one thing at a time. there's always plans and ways you can change things, but that turned out to be not a real occurrence of any security risk. >> o'donnell: as a republican, are you disappointed that president trump won't be here? >> i think the president should have been here, and i'm disappointed. >> o'donnell: what kind of message do you think it sends? >> that's his decision, but this is still going to be this magical moment where our new president takes the reins. >> o'donnell: did you ever consider moving this inside for security reasons? >> i don't think we seriously did. this is not only a moment of importance, but the fact that we do it and where we do it matters, and really important to maintain that sense to have the continuity of both our constitution and our democracy. >> o'donnell: and, yet, the leader of your party and his most fervent supporters tried to derail that. >> well, you know, what happened here two weeks ago was one of the great stains on the history

of the country, in my view. it was outrageous, it was totally unforgivable. >> o'donnell: there were hundreds if not thousands of rioters on this very stage, just last week. how much damage was done? >> a lot of damage was done to our reputation, not much done to the building. there were probably 1,000 people in the building. every one of those people should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. >> o'donnell: what if president trump pardons some of the people involved? >> i think that would be disastrous. i think what they did is unpardonable. >> o'donnell: this is what president joe biden will see when he addresses the nation. >> there will be some people out there, yes. >> o'donnell: and nearly 200,000 american flags instead of the crowd. >> normally we have 200,000 people, so instead we'll have almost 200,000 flags. >> o'donnell: was there any damage done to this area? >> there was a little damage. some repainting had to be done.

>> o'donnell: i understand they replaced all the windows. >> right. >> o'donnell: these are the windows we saw them punching flag poles and helmets through and crawling through those windows. >> right. >> o'donnell: that has all been replaced. >> like our democracy was starting fresh on the 20th. >> o'donnell: and we wanted to show you this: we were struck by this view. the 46th president of the united states will have this view as he takes his oath of office. incredibly beautiful and quite secure tonight. and tonight, president-elect joe biden is making final revisions to the inaugural address he'll give from that lectern. he will begin signing executive orders rolling pack many of trump's programs. weijia jiang is covering the transition in wilmington, delaware. >> reporter: president-elect joe biden celebrated martin luther king, jr. with a day of service at a philadelphia food bank. cbs news has learned mr. biden

will use his inaugural address to directory appeal to trump supporters as part of a push for unity. >> he is the president for all of america, and he's going to govern that way. >> reporter: louisiana congressman cedric richmond will serve as a top aide in the west wing. >> i think you're going to hear an honest assessment of where we are as a country. >> reporter: as soon as mr. biden takes the oath of office on wednesday, he'll reverse some of the trump administration's most controversial policy decisions. he'll rejoin the paris climate agreement, reverse the travel ban on some muslim majority countries, and issue a mask mandate on federal property and interstate travel. vice president elect kamala harris, who also spent the day volunteering, formally resigned from her california senate seat ahead of her historic swearing in on wednesday. >> of course, i'm not saying goodbye, in many ways i'm now saying hello as your vice

president. >> reporter: harris will take her oath of office from the first latina supreme court justice, sonia sotomayor, who plans to use a bible once owned by one of harris' heroes, the first african-american supreme court justice thurgood marshall. >> i will walk there to that moment proudly with my head up and my shoulders back. >> reporter: unprecedented circumstances like this pandemic have delayed senate confirmation hearings for the president's cabinet picks. tomorrow they begin for five including the director of national intelligence, but there is a chance mr. biden could begin his presidency without a single member of his cabinet confirmed. norah. >> o'donnell: weijia jiang, thank you. and on this day of national service, we did not see president trump at all. instead, with just hours left in his term tonight, president trump is mulling over how many pardons he should issue and who should get them, and it could be a long list.

cbs' paula reid reports from the white house. >> reporter: with one full day in office remaining the president plans to issue between 50-100 pardons and commutations. >> the pardons are a very positive thing for a president. >> reporter: steve bannon and >> reporter: the president has already granted clemency to 94 people, including several friends and political allies. former aide steve bannon and personal attorney rudy giuliani could both get last-minute giuliani today denied that he was paid to lobby the president for pardons. mr. trump has insisted he has the power to pardon himself, but that could anger senate republicans, who will serve as jurors in his possible impeachment trial. first lady melania trump issued a farewell video in which she referenced the january january 6th capitol assault. >> always remember that violence is never the answer and will never be justified.

>> reporter: >> reporter: the president will fly to florida wednesday morning, and with him with be the so-called nuclear football, the briefcase containing the launch codes for nuclear weapons. a second briefcase will be in washington, ready for president- elect biden once he's sworn in. in a break with tradition, the first lady did not invite dr. jill biden to the white house, and the first couple will not be attending the inauguration. with the military focused on securing d.c., president trump will get a scaled-back send-off, he will not get the full military honors he wanted. norah. >> o'donnell: so much changing. paula reid, thank you. and turning now to the coronavirus crisis and the news from dr. anthony fauci: two new vaccines could be ready for approval in just a matter of weeks. and it can't come soon enough. the c.d.c. tells cbs news the death toll could hit half a million by the middle of february. more now from cbs' jamie yuccas. ( sirens ) >> reporter: tonight, california

leads the world in coronavirus cases, with more than 3 million residents infected, and now concern over new variants hitting the state. you think there are other variants, most likely, out there? >> certainly. i think it's like shining a flash light in the dark. you will see something if you start to look and we haven't been looking. >> reporter: nationwide the chaotic rollout of the vaccine continues. >> be patient! we get it! everybody needs vaccines. >> reporter: leading to more than a few frayed nerves in florida. >> you can't get an appointment you can't buy a an appointment,o what are we going >> reporter: florida's department of health says more than 40,000 are already overdue for their second dose, all this as the country braces for the worst. >> by the middle of february, we expect half a million deaths in this country. >> reporter: this chart shows the dramatic increase in covid deaths in l.a. county. one person now dying every six minutes. the coroner has a backlog of bodies.

bodies. l.a. county just eased air quality rules to allow for more cremations. as bad as things may seem, one uplifting update tonight. >> i was fearing the worst. >> reporter: we met dennis zayas and wife jessica just before christmas, after a covid diagnosis led to a double lungo, afte transplant. >> almost having to learn how to walk again. >> reporter: now he's working out, and this weekend got his first dose of the moderna vaccine. a new report from reuters tonight, cbs news confirmed president trump is lifting covid travel restrictions beginning january 26 from europe and brazil, where the virus is surging. mean meanwhile, hospitals here are still at maximum capacity, and worried about post-holiday surge. norah. >> o'donnell: jamie yuccas, thank you so much. and there's still much more news ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news." vladimir putin's chief political rival is arrested and thrown in jail.

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because with fidelity, you can feel confident that the only direction you're moving is forward. >> o'donnell: on this martin luther king, jr. day, a group of students are continuing the civil rights leader's legacy. nikki battiste has more in our series "unifying america." >> reporter: in a remarkable display of courage, a fifth grade class marched into california's state capitol to testify and to rewrite their history books. >> of all the suffering they did really inflames your soul, especially when that person was someone like you. >> reporter: now 16, nicole sandavol was one of those kids fighting to have their textbooks

tell the missing story of mass deportations of mexican- americans in the 1930s. today, the students are among the first nine honorees of the museum of the courageous, a new online nonprofit highlighting people who stand up to hate. >> now, what we're trying to do is build a group of people compelled and inspired and ready to stand up to hate. the story of the courageous class really offers us inspiration and a pathway forward. >> reporter: this courageous class includes vernon dahmer, a mississippi civil rights leader who was murdered by the k.k.k. as he fought for black citizens to freely vote, and pauli murray, a priest and pioneer for gender and racial equality. how do you hope your story can inspire unity in our country today? >> i think that everyone in this country should feel they belong and they matter and their voice is valued. >> reporter: today we celebrate the bravery of the past and hope for a more inclusive future. nikki battiste, cbs news, new york.

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i'm norah o'donnell. we want to leave you with the field of flags and pillars of light celebrating joe biden's inauguration. good night. ♪ ♪ this is the cbs overnight news. i'm chip reid in washington, thanks for staying with us. washington, d.c. has the look of an armed camp in preparation for tomorrow's inauguration of joe biden as the 46th president of the united states. the assault on the capitol has spurred a security mission not seen in washington since the civil war. there's barricades, roadblocks, fences and armored vehicles stationed throughout the nation's capitol.

there's an army of fbi, uniformed and plain clothed local police and up to 25,000 national guard troops. we discussed the situation with the mayor for 60 minutes. >> will joe biden be inaugurated at noon? >> absolutely. this nation will have its 46th president joe biden and kamala harris will take their oaths. >> muriel bowser took us to the ground trampeled by the mob to show us a tradition restored. >> you see the balconies, and that is where the next president will take the oath of office. you see the red drapes just behind the podium, that's where the president and special guests will enter. >> reporter: ritual is returning

after the greatest attack on the capitol in 206 years. in the after math of january 6th, she asked the federal government to reassess security, and they are adding re-enforcements and imposing a larger, earlier lockdown around the white house, capitol, and national mall. ⌞>> this exclusion zone of 7-foot fences and military roadblocks was rushed in six days sooner than planned. >> what we know is that not only is the inauguration itself a target for these extremists who stormed the capitol steps and put 535 members of congress and the transition of power for our country in danger, we know that they are planning events leading up to it, so it was very important that we have a posture that discouraged people from coming, all people, but